MP rains: Dussehra groups install waterproof Ravan effigies

Rains in several parts of Madhya Pradesh played dampener in Dussehra festivities with effigies of Ravan, which are set ablaze on the occasion to celebrate victory of good over evil, having to be covered with waterproofing material.

India Meteorological Department officials said the monsoon is likely to begin its retreat in the state after Dussehra, which falls on Tuesday.

In a touch of irony, an effigy of Ravan in a market in Bhopal which was covered in plastic foil to give a message against the use of the material ended up protecting it from the rains.

"We had laminated the effigies of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna with thin plastic foil. This was planned as a message against the use of plastic but it has become useful the other way now, saving the effigies from rain damage," Rajesh Vyas, president of Bittan Market Dussehra Utsav Samiti told PTI.

In Indore, several Dussehra committees ordered for waterproof effigies against the backdrop of the state having one of the most robust monsoons in recent years.

The main event in Indore, the state's top commercial centre, is held at the Dussehra Maidan and the effigy here has been covered in tarpaulin.

One of the organisers, Kishore Meena of the Chhaoni Area Social Organisation, said the 51-foot tall effigy they have installed is waterproof, and special flammable materials inside would ensure pyrotechnics even in rains.